At the Grand Ol' World's Fair
by SuleimanTheMagnificient
Summary: A different retelling of the Pecos Bill story from the film Melody Time. What new experience will the great gunslinger undergo after making a wish on the Moon?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Melody Time_. _Melody Time_ is owned by Walt Disney Productions.**

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Deep in the open range of the Wild West, a lone cowboy dragged his feet on the dusty surface of the desert, his eyes cast downward and his heart sinking lower. His accompanying horse, Widowmaker, silently followed his partner, his eyes staring at his clopping feet while he marched forward.

The stars had just come out to blanket the sky, shimmering and providing light for the cold desert night. The cowboy, locally known as Pecos Bill, stopped at a nearby tall rock formation and left Widowmaker on the surface to climb it higher. Being a cowboy who was actually raised by a pack of coyotes for the first fifteen or so years of his life, jumping from rock to rock and keeping a steady grip with his hands and feet was easily second nature for the daring young man.

Romance, on the other hand, wasn't. As much as he was a bucking cowboy, who had saved the Lone Star State from countless droughts and tornadoes using nothing but his wits, his trusty lasso and the help of Widowmaker, it seemed to not have any impressive effects on any cowgirl. Odds are, they would have preferred the macho men who only flexed their bodies whenever any attractive lady passed by and went right back to their daily routine of gambling for bragging rights and gold coins, two things that Pecos just did not seem to have according to the town.

It was on nights like this where he'd climb up to the tall plateaus of the desert and just stare at the moon, admiring its radiant beauty and forgetting about all of the ranchers and ladies who doubted his skill. He'd howl into the dark blue yonder at the celestial wonder, hoping he could call upon his coyote family to join him in the event. And soon enough, the cries of his family echoed across the landscape, harmonizing with the wails of Pecos.

After a short while, the yowls had stopped, and the cowboy continued to stare at the moon. He was never one to wish for anything often, but his loneliness had seemingly pooled together that night. He closed his eyes slowly and thought to himself:

' _Just one gal. A real, special gal. One who don't care too much for riches or how big your guns can be. That's all I want._ '

His eyes opened again to the round, pale sphere in the night sky.

A twinkle appeared in the corner of his eye, immediately turning his head to the side of the moon. He could swear on his grave that there was a glowing ball pulling away from the moon, floating in nothingness before quickly morphing into a star. Pecos stared dumbfounded at the miracle before him, thinking whether or not he fell asleep and was already dreaming.

Before he could question any further, the star had quickly shot out from the moon, rushing past the landscape and barely missing Pecos's head. The surprised cowboy followed the falling star, the bright sphere flying high above the town and spinning in the air. Eventually it slowed down to a crawl and finally fell into the earth, exploding into a cloud of dust as it landed.

Rushing down back to the ground, Pecos checked to see if Widowmaker was fine before saddling up and rushing to the crash site. On the ride to the fallen star, he smacked his face a few times to confirm that this wasn't a dream: there was _definitely_ a magical moment beginning tonight.

As Widowmaker closely approached the crash site, Pecos frantically searched around for the star, only to see a puddle of gold right above the ground. He got off his best steed and kneeled before the magic-filled water, noticing tiny specks of starlight floating on the surface. The specks danced around the water, forming letters and reading the following, leaving the cowboy in a greater confusion:

' _You wished it so, you wished it here_

 _For someone you want to hold dear_

 _Tomorrow, wait till noon and feast your eyes_

 _On a very unique and exotic prize'_

He could only scratch his head at the weird riddle shown. "What do you think this means, Widowmaker?" Pecos inquired.

The horse could only shrug in response and pulled on Pecos's sleeve to get him back on top and ride out of here. Staring at the magic puddle one last time, Pecos rode off with Widowmaker back to their camp, never getting to notice the swirling magic emerging from the puddle and making the town glow in a veil of light.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning had come as quickly as the shooting star from the night before. The sun's beams reached the eyes of Widowmaker, who groggily opened his eyes to the light. He yawned, smacked his lips and tiredly looked for Pecos, who was slumbering under the shade of a nearby desert oak tree. After he stretched out his legs, Widowmaker cried a loud whinny to Pecos as a wake-up call.

Just like Widowmaker, Pecos slowly lifted his heavy eyes from the weight of exhaustion. He let out a giant yawn and stretched out his limbs and body. He sluggishly rose up from his makeshift dirt bed and crawled over to the small watering hole right by the camp.

Widowmaker joined Pecos to wash up with his usual routine: he would swallow a mouthful of water, swish it around in his mouth, and aim at a nearby bowl-shaped cactus. He spat each drop at the cactus and made sure that not even one would fall out of it.

Pecos let out a small chuckle at his partner's antics. "As impressive as that is, Widowmaker, I don't understand why you try so hard with that trick each morning," he stated before grabbing a dull tin mug with a toothbrush inside and filling it with water. "It's not like we're putting on a show and getting paid for it," he followed while brushing his teeth simultaneously.

The horse shot a dirty look at Pecos and turned away from his rider, letting out a "Humph" and clopping away.

Another chuckle escaped Pecos' lips. "Aw, come now, Widowmaker. You know I'm only teasing," he explained before swallowing a gulp of water from his mug and swishing it before spitting onto the ground. "Maybe your little spit trick will earn us some grub today."

Widowmaker's stomach growled in time, prompting the horse to let out a sad sigh.

"I know, I know. We haven't had the money to buy the good hay that the other horses have. But look on the bright side: ol' Granny Johnson's apples and sugar cubes ain't half bad, now aren't they?"

The horse couldn't disagree; the kindest lady in the outpost sure knew how to give an animal a sweet treat. He could already taste the crisp, clean texture of a shiny red apple, licking his lips in anticipation.

"So what are we waiting for?" questioned Pecos as he mounted Widowmaker. "Let's get to the general store and see if the Johnsons have work for us today. Might as well get some supplies while we're at it."

The horse let out a huge whinny, and zoomed out from their camp in a dash. The clacking hooves lifted off the dusty desert floor, leaving behind a lingering dust cloud behind Widowmaker.

As they sped towards the site of Frontier, the local western town, Pecos could have sworn he saw flickering bits of gold dust scattered in the air as he and his horse zoomed passed by. His confusion was slowly confirmed as he saw a huge tent in the distance, easily three times as big as any establishment in the local town. The sun's rays had unveiled brightly colored balloons floating in the sky and huge signs posted above wooden stalls and towering steel structures that surrounded the borders of Frontier.

Pecos was so astounded by the sight before him that he didn't notice Widowmaker slowing to a crawl and hanging in jaw in awe. He could see a huge multitude of people going out and about between the town and the weird festival, cheers and laughter filling the air.

The cowboy noticed he was already close to the gates of the town, so he got off his horse and walked slowly along the dusty road, his eyes still glued to the wondrous event currently going on in Frontier.

The remaining population of Frontier was already moving into the strange event, practically speed-walking to the large, colorful attractions. One elderly lady was taking her time joining the others, whom Pecos had instantly recognized.

"Mornin' and howdy, Granny Johnson!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards her.

The lady had turned towards the young cowboy with a warm smile and tired eyes. "And a good morning to you, too, Pecos."

Pecos stopped by her side and stared onward at the event. "So what's the deal here? Circus come by in town?"

"Hmm, doesn't seem like it," Granny Johnson replied. "This seems way too big for just a simple circus. Looks to be more like a World's Fair, if I recall well enough."

"What's that?"

The silver-haired lady smiled and motioned for Pecos to follow her. "Think of it as a celebration, my dear child. It's a grand fair showing off everything that everyone around the entire _world_ has done while on Earth. This whole planet has a lot more to offer other than just cowboys and horse riding, you know."

Pecos looked at her as if she had six eyes. "Surely you're pulling my leg here, Granny."

A loud chuckle escaped her lips. "If I were, Pecos, I would've said it was a circus. Go on ahead, my dear." She handed him an small paper-like object in his hand. "See and explore for yourself."

Pecos looked down at his hand and saw a golden ticket stub, covered in glittering gold dust and the message "The Whole World in one Place!" written on it. He thanked Granny and headed off to the fair's entrance, curious to see what "world" he was missing out on.


End file.
